tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67300955148064200462017-09-04T15:23:14.892-07:00A Car Full of AutismA Car Full of Autism: My writings and ramblings about being a mother of two children with AutismCorrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-28166484898682945762015-08-20T16:43:00.006-07:002015-08-20T16:43:53.410-07:00Mental health days: A chance to do some fine motor workWe have had such a busy schedule lately, there has not been a lot of downtime and time for creativity. I picked up two cheap terracotta pots yesterday at the hardware store and my plan was to have Aria paint her's this morning and Lachie to do his after school. He desperately wanted a day off so I decided that he was due a mental health day.<br /><br />I looked up several ways to do the pots and it seems that soaking them for an hour is the most effective method of getting the paint to stick.<br /><br />I gave Aria her turn first, she wanted to pot upside down as it was easier for her to paint it that way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WEIA3GBB8b4/VdZkJK_Kq9I/AAAAAAAAAho/B_PztT7u9Yo/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WEIA3GBB8b4/VdZkJK_Kq9I/AAAAAAAAAho/B_PztT7u9Yo/s320/IMG_1984.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>&nbsp;Lachie wanted a more structured outcome so we taped his off with painters tape to create some stripes<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcUH_XAH3vc/VdZkvz3WnrI/AAAAAAAAAic/Gc_WZmCkdc0/s1600/IMG_1989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcUH_XAH3vc/VdZkvz3WnrI/AAAAAAAAAic/Gc_WZmCkdc0/s320/IMG_1989.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GKygIICLa9Q/VdZkuUUKfbI/AAAAAAAAAiU/qsjOFzw7jp8/s1600/IMG_1990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GKygIICLa9Q/VdZkuUUKfbI/AAAAAAAAAiU/qsjOFzw7jp8/s320/IMG_1990.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>&nbsp;After they finished they got out the finger puppets and chased each other around the yard for a while.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zh0dZhjAIwg/VdZlKYKJxHI/AAAAAAAAAi4/r6zcoXySegQ/s1600/IMG_1994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zh0dZhjAIwg/VdZlKYKJxHI/AAAAAAAAAi4/r6zcoXySegQ/s320/IMG_1994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Stay tuned for the finished product......Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-40864996347629274532014-06-26T19:46:00.002-07:002014-06-26T19:46:42.562-07:00Do I have a choice?I was reading an article by Australian Comedian, Josh Thomas today about gay pride:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/06/26/please-pride" target="_blank">Read it here</a>. It really resonated with me. I am quite often praised for parenting two children with special needs, having a job, and studying. Well sometimes I am called crazy as well but that is besides the point. I don't see parenting my special needs children as a choice I made. I mean, yes I decided to have children (sorry if that offends those who believe children are Gods will) but I didn't have much control in the children I got. I often see parents of children with ASD determined not to allow ASD to be used an excuse for their child and many of us spend a great deal of time redirecting our children from manipulating situations because of their ASD (kids will be kids ASD or not), so why would I allow ASD parenting to define, limit, or excuse me for anything. I take on what I know that I can handle and my kids can handle and if I am not meeting those obligations I consider my situation and try to make changes. I have not always done this and I do believe that every now and again it is okay to ask: "WHY ME!?" However, cathartic it might be, you won't get an answer and you certainly won't change your situation. I am determined not to lose myself to ASD parenting and I don't think I would be a wonderful role model for my children if I did that. So now I am about to re-embark on my crazy life, I'm going back to work and starting a PhD but I have allies, support, and the strength to do it. If any one of those three things changes then I will cross that path when I come to it.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-24492826793026311212014-05-20T03:45:00.001-07:002014-05-20T03:46:57.713-07:00Different Perspectives<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zSEOVhgM13o/U3syR9VAH7I/AAAAAAAAAe8/sEfRtfrt-a0/s640/blogger-image--409183742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zSEOVhgM13o/U3syR9VAH7I/AAAAAAAAAe8/sEfRtfrt-a0/s640/blogger-image--409183742.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Today I went to watch Lachie receive an award at school. Any one who has read this blog would understand how amazing this is. Unfortunately another parent put a little bit of a dampener on the occasion. I walked into the assembly hall just in time to see Lachie's aide scoot through a pile of seated children and land the ear muffs on his head as the first note of Advance Australia Fair sounded. In an instant the fight went from his body and he stopped rocking on his wiggle cushion. This made me happy, she knows my child well enough to act fast where needed. He wore the ear muffs until the song finished then sat relatively still, with the odd stim for the remainder of the assembly.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the other side of the hall there was another scene playing out. There was another boy, he wasn't sitting and he had no ear muffs. He was running up and down the aisle created by the rows of children. He was smiling, flapping, and running as if it were a training drill. There were two aides strategically placed, one blocking his entry to the front of stage and one blocking his exit from the hall. The other kids were watching the assembly, no eye lids were bat, this was his usual routine. Occasionally when his vocal stimming got loud he followed the aide outside where I could see him doing laps of the adventure playground. This was a well oiled machine and it was not hurting any one.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A father sitting next to me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Why don't they restrain him? where do crazy kids like that come from?" &nbsp;I held back a swear word and the temptation to lie and tell him he was my child just to see his reaction. I instead said, "He has special needs." &nbsp;He asked me to repeat myself and this time I said it more forcefully. He didn't really answer. I was so disappointed that my perspective was so different to his. I hope that one day people see that these teachers were managing the situation in a non-confrontational, non-aggressive, and highly skilled manner. I wish people would sit back and take another perspective before they speak.&nbsp;</div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-45080658162564103502014-04-14T19:37:00.002-07:002014-05-14T20:58:44.888-07:00Relax....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHHdtPbXZ7I/U0yYRMh4DvI/AAAAAAAAAdE/sghXKrF3so4/s1600/animal-20413_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHHdtPbXZ7I/U0yYRMh4DvI/AAAAAAAAAdE/sghXKrF3so4/s1600/animal-20413_640.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>How many times in my life as an ASD parent have I been told to relax, look after myself, and been told the old "oxygen mask" analogy? Well, lets just say that if I had a dollar for every time, then I probably could relax a little more. Although I appreciate the sentiment it just isn't always possible. One thing that has become quite apparent to me lately though is that looking after myself doesn't just mean go and do something fun and relaxing. Looking after myself means, not looking after others unless I really have to (i.e., my young children). I recently posed a question about not coping with the issues of others when we have so many of our own from day to day. I think it came out wrong....What I meant is, I think ASD parents have so much experience with the more extreme parenting situations that may only come up for others from time to time. So it is only natural that when they come up, we might be approached to help. Those things I help with readily, if they are bigger issues it is generally more a case of lending an ear with the person we are talking to needing to seek some more "official" help. What I think I get bogged down with are the little things. It is hard for me sometimes to sympathise with people, especially if the issue is something that is not permanent and is maybe not the worst issue they will go through in their lifetime with their children. It's really hard for me to sympathise with a parent upset over something that I might see as a developmental milestone for my kids. The thing is that lately I have realised that it is not others doing this to me, it is me doing it to myself. I jump in to help people, it is a part of who I am. Sometimes I need to take a step back and look after myself.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11913205/?claim=p3p5n48qgt7%22%3EFollow%20my%20blog%20with%20Bloglovin%3C" target="_blank">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-39152292990190417682014-04-01T14:49:00.001-07:002014-04-01T17:53:39.617-07:00Just keep climbing: Optimism and resilience<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aKZ22D9zhl0/Uzs0Yeb41GI/AAAAAAAAAck/IQmEsSqoILY/s640/blogger-image--2029745210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aKZ22D9zhl0/Uzs0Yeb41GI/AAAAAAAAAck/IQmEsSqoILY/s640/blogger-image--2029745210.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Optimism is not a skill that I really posses. I'd hazard a guess that a lot of Autism parents have somewhat lost their sense of optimism. See, we are almost trained by our children to plan for problems long before they arise. I think that with time we see and expect problems with every situation. This week Lachie understood for the first time ever, through sad circumstances that he is different. The idea of being different broke his heart and when I left him at school, I was very pessimistic about how his day would go. He proved me wrong. He taught me something I'd never considered before, how resilient he is, how resilient we are. We have, like many ASD families, been through a lot but we get through it. I don't know that optimism is something I'll ever be good at but resilience is something I will remember from now on.&nbsp;</div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-76437147355497818232014-03-14T02:55:00.001-07:002014-03-14T03:32:01.746-07:00You Feel Exposed<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--VZbn062sHQ/UyLZ4G4VGCI/AAAAAAAAAaM/xhWPmytoB-U/s640/blogger-image--177562843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--VZbn062sHQ/UyLZ4G4VGCI/AAAAAAAAAaM/xhWPmytoB-U/s320/blogger-image--177562843.jpg" width="259" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Today I got a little hot under the collar after reading a blog post by someone I admire. The author did nothing but support me and explain his post and why he posted it. The crazy thing is that it wasn't so much the intent or his thoughts that upset me, it was the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. I think it is similar to the way you feel as a new parent, you don't really know if you are doing everything right and you tend to pick up on what other people are doing and feel like you are maybe failing at some aspects of parenting because your child doesn't: sleep like that, breast feed successfully, has not toilet trained or taken their first steps. The thing is, when you parent children on the spectrum you have information, advice, ideas, and research shoved at you 24-7. It makes you feel exposed. It takes a long time to not feel like you are doing it wrong because you have never put your child on a gluten-casein-blah-blah diet. No you haven't tried the new snake oils, sensory technique, therapy, or read the latest blog opinion piece. I liken it to having a baby with a sleep problem, but it is permanent. That is the kicker! I think it was a line that started with "parents need to...." sure there were other meaningful words there, I'm sure there was, he is a great writer, he is a kind man, but I couldn't really read on with any objectivity. Sometimes all we need is for someone to say, "How are you" and follow it up with "You are doing a great job". Everyone weighing in with their opinion stings at times, regardless of the intent. Spectrum or not, every parent that manages to love, nurture, and support their child is doing a great job.</span></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-78495821997050349592014-03-12T01:53:00.001-07:002014-08-22T21:57:39.047-07:00Choosing Which Blogs to Follow: Support Found in all Kinds of PlacesSo everyone is different but there are a few blogs and their accompanying Facebook pages that you might like to consider following if you have an child with Autism (apart from my own of course). Before I list them and my reason for loving them I want to describe my experiences with internet support groups. Many years ago when GI Joe was diagnosed there wasn't as much internet social networking as there is today. I joined the local Asperger's network as it was the closest one to us and was made up of a lot of very experienced and lovely men and women who had children in their teens. I wanted to get advice from those who had been through the early years and gain insight into possible future challenges. The internet grew and a bulletin board was created. I struggled with the board but I stuck around because of the people that I truly knew. I have joined a few online groups since then but for risk of being a little controversial, I found that some (possibly un-diagnosed) individuals often initiated fierce and upsetting debate that defeated my purposes for being there. More recently I have enjoyed reading some more light hearted blogs. These writers are brilliant in that they manage to entertain but offer real support and make you feel like you are not alone. There is one maybe more serious (plus a shameless family plug) in the group of my favourite blogs but she is there because I can relate to her and I just feel a sense of fierceness in her writing, a fierceness that is all about love.<br /><div><br /></div><div>So here's my list:<br /><a href="http://www.lexistential.com/" target="_blank">Mostly True Stuff</a><br />Edited to update link as the blog is now at Lexisential<br />Lexi "sweatpants" Magnusson introduced me to the sweet relief of humorous and supportive blog reading. She is funny but sprinkles her blog with the odd serious, profound, and thought provoking post. She gives parents permission to feel the way they feel, and that is priceless.<br /><br /><a href="http://autismwithasideoffries.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Autism With a Side of Fries</a><br />Funny, she's so funny. She just seems to pluck witty thoughts out of thin air and turn them into posts and memes than any ASD parent can appreciate. Serious stuff that you ponder on and worry about, in a way that is not crass or disrespectful. She laughs at herself and &nbsp;her situation and that is a skill many ASD parents need to get by. She also posts questions for parents.<br /><br /><a href="http://effinautism.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Another Effin Autism Blog</a><br />What started out as a blog to vent on, has turned into a relatable and hilarious account of autism parenting.<br /><br /><a href="http://myausomeson.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">My Ausome Son</a><br />A little bit more serious but her school battles and homeschooling adventures remind me of my own experiences and she is incredibly kind and sharing. She is the fierce one!<br /><br /><a href="http://autism-daddy.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Autism Daddy</a><br />Gives an often funny and relatable dad's POV. He says it as it is and I like that.<br /><br /><a href="http://missmollyandaspergers.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Miss Molly and Asperger's </a><br />This is my lovely cousin. She gives insight into her experiences as a girl with Asperger's which is always valuable for parents.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-50932097502519915172014-03-09T01:55:00.001-08:002014-03-09T01:59:12.080-08:00The ASD Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">There are so many great products and therapy tools on the market that can help children with Autism. I came to a sad realisation today that many people have caught on to the benefits of certain things, slapped a therapy tag on it and upped the price to beyond reasonable. Not only do we need these things for our kids, we often need a lot of them. A Labrador like our gorgeous Luna could easily take $35000 to train, a simple, tiny little chewable pendant could cost $20 and need replacing multiple times. I was even shocked at the cost of some simple weighted products. I have no worries when parents make and sell these necessary items to raise money for their own child's therapy but there are some tips I would like to pass on.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">1. Although a therapy pet, properly trained is highly valuable, a well trained pet of any kind has benefits. We have three beloved dogs and I think at times they give us all an ear and a cuddle. I don't buy in to the lack of empathy debate with ASD but they can teach loyalty and give much needed companionship and love. Our dogs love and are fiercely protective of all our kids.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">2. $2 shops and National Geographic, sensory tools can be found in many places. I've bought the most expensive tools and have found that they last no longer than the cheap stuff. Stress balls in particular need to be replaced often here and chewy stuff. I have purchased some food grade silicone and will start making my own soon.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">3. Weighted products can be achieved with cheap materials, rice and fishing weights. If you don't sew, a pillow with a quick unpick in the corner, a bit of stuffing pulled out and some rice and weights is said to be just as effective.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">4. A laminator, free clipart from Microsoft Word, some cheap cardboard, and a printer can make routine cards. Rolls of magnetic tape or Velcro can make them stick to things. A cheap manilla folder, with contact on it and magnets or Velcro can make it portable.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I'm sure there are plenty more do it yourself products out there. I find a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and if anyone has more ideas, feel free to share belowin the comments. I'm sure there are some clever parents who have come up with ways to tackle the never ending cost of obsessions too.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YYPYg85kWKY/Uxw6p88XYzI/AAAAAAAAAZc/U0oPYghHm00/s640/blogger-image-1967163011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YYPYg85kWKY/Uxw6p88XYzI/AAAAAAAAAZc/U0oPYghHm00/s640/blogger-image-1967163011.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-57783165262008224512014-02-08T20:31:00.000-08:002014-02-08T20:31:22.863-08:00Everything he doesn't want to be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZwTPM9DhGU/UvcBqqpk3DI/AAAAAAAAAXk/ZANuPBJ9x0U/s1600/Grandin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZwTPM9DhGU/UvcBqqpk3DI/AAAAAAAAAXk/ZANuPBJ9x0U/s1600/Grandin.jpg" height="363" width="400" /></a></div><br />I came across the above quote on Pinterest. I think it is a great quote and one I would usually scramble to add to my Autism Awareness board on the site. However, what if all your child wants in the world is to snap their fingers and be nonautistic? What do you do then? Gi Joe hates his ASD, as much as he now has a better understanding of it, he is desperate to be rid of it. The only thing I can do is encourage him and try to get him to see the good in his diagnosis. As much as autism overwhelms us in not so positive ways, it gives us unique benefits too.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EwkuJYJVip8/UvcEPPCEdbI/AAAAAAAAAXw/C6zeDe04ohw/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EwkuJYJVip8/UvcEPPCEdbI/AAAAAAAAAXw/C6zeDe04ohw/s1600/001.jpg" height="320" width="295" /></a></div><br /><br />Gi Joe is an amazing artist, this has come about from his amazing visual memory and his ability to recreate the finest detail without having to look back at his inspiration piece, not once (see above for an example). He used to do this with puzzles too. Honestly, if Gi Joe did not have ASD, we would not be coping as well with Lachie. He provides incredible insight into his world and helps us to understand quickly when something may overwhelm him or cause a meltdown. I really hope that one day he (and lets be honest the rest of the adolescent population) can understand and embrace the positives of autism.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-72442432944539637442014-01-19T20:32:00.002-08:002014-01-19T22:19:18.979-08:00Keeping up with our kidsI have come to realise recently that parenting is becoming more difficult. Sure it was hard when my oldest was young, I was new to ASD, and Autism parenting is hard. However, this is a whole new and different hard! Last night I heard Lachie talking in his room and snuck up the stairs. I was shocked to hear someone, a voice I didn't recognise, a man's voice talking back to him. At first I started to panic, thinking there was someone in his room, then it clicked, to my horror he was conversing with a stranger through the game centre chat facility on his Ipad. I got nothing but meltdown and fire as I ended the conversation. I took the iPad and discovered my sweet, innocent 7 year old had 474 "friends". I thought I was tech savvy. I thought I was safety conscious. I had seen the restrictions and assumed he was restricted and safe. I had not set the restrictions with a password. After extensive questioning, I only got that he said nice stuff and this strange man said nice stuff back. I just hope it is a true 7 year old interpretation of nice. &nbsp;Despite the restrictions I also had to sign out of Game Centre as it continues to allow them to interact with "friends" they have already added. So this post is a pouring out of mummy guilt and a warning to double check all your children's devices, google if you need to, but stay informed about the dangers.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-61895334333605795412013-11-13T16:21:00.000-08:002013-11-13T16:27:05.323-08:00Lemonade Fractions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56u-_1AwhYM/UoQUqdNUHSI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/fS30YQBVa_g/s1600/IMG_0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56u-_1AwhYM/UoQUqdNUHSI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/fS30YQBVa_g/s320/IMG_0637.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cooking provides for so many learning activities. I've been wanting to introduce Lachie to fractions for a while. Although a lot of fraction work is done in grade two, he becomes confused over terms such as half which can result in upset over someone having two halves of something and him only having one whole. He has been asking to make home made lemonade for a while so I used this as an opportunity to teach halves and wholes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>First we got the recipe from this site&nbsp;<a href="http://m.designmom.com/2013/06/living-well-9-secrets-to-amazing-homemade-lemonade/" target="_blank">Design Mom</a>&nbsp;through Pinterest.&nbsp;&nbsp;I pre-made the sugar syrup as I was not keen for Lachie to be around boiling sugar.&nbsp;</li><li>Then we spent time cutting the lemons in half and I demonstrated half and whole.</li><li>&nbsp;I only have an electric citrus juicer. I am always looking for fine motor development opportunities and I once saw Jamie Oliver roll a lemon to help release the juices. I got Lachie to squeeze and roll each lemon (we used 5 lemons). This is great for hand strength</li><li>I cut the lemons but Lachie wanted a go, I gave him a go at one while I held the lemon in place.</li><li>I held the lemon on the juicer and he turned the dial (he got a bit impatient at times...ouch).</li><li>We mixed the syrup, juice, and water and strained it as my kids are fussy with pulp.</li><li>He ladled his own and it tasted really nice.</li></ul><div>Ideas for extension:</div><div><ul><li>Manual juicing would be great for hand strength and safer for toddlers to join in</li><li>Different flavours could be incorporated</li><li>You could set up a lemonade stand and have the kids sell to their other parent and siblings.</li></ul></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-56956408787128454872013-11-10T18:19:00.002-08:002013-11-10T18:29:19.514-08:00Blow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fF3BHQyeldU/UoA8sM8zpTI/AAAAAAAAAWA/WDtpOOsW8fk/s1600/IMG_0621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fF3BHQyeldU/UoA8sM8zpTI/AAAAAAAAAWA/WDtpOOsW8fk/s400/IMG_0621.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today we worked on phonics and oral motor development. Lachie is really good at reading but gets confused over some sounds. We chose to concentrate on the "OW" sound in blow. It can be tricky as it changes according to the different letter blends it is paired with. For example the "OW" in Owl or Bowl sounds different to the "OW" in Blow. At least in our Aussie accents.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>First we took photos of Aria and Lachie blowing into a bubble blower.&nbsp;</li><li>Second we intended on doing bubble painting but the paint was too heavy and did not produce coloured bubbles. The paper got all soggy. So after a few "experiments" with the bubble water we decided we needed something circular to print the bubbles.</li><li>Lachie used a small piece of pvc pipe and the moon stamps we made out of bottle caps earlier in the year.</li><li>Aria who is more happy than Lachie to get messy used just the bottle caps, but not the stamps.</li><li>Aria wanted pink paper, I only had orange card so she stamped hers onto pink paper then helped me glue the bubbles on the card once we cut them out.</li><li>I cut out and glued on their pictures.</li><li>Lachie chose the letters to spell out "blow".</li><li>Aria chose her coloured letters.</li></ul>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-65080547245461785722013-11-05T19:43:00.002-08:002013-11-05T19:45:02.571-08:00Letting Go of Ideals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCxagBdApYc/Unm1fUpmgYI/AAAAAAAAAVo/T3QjN_3_7r4/s1600/IMG_0459.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WCxagBdApYc/Unm1fUpmgYI/AAAAAAAAAVo/T3QjN_3_7r4/s320/IMG_0459.JPG+(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Once I received some constructive criticism from a college lecturer that I was incredibly proud of. I was so proud of this feedback I went and thanked her. She looked at me and shook her head and smiled. At the time I was confused about her response. The feedback was that I was too idealistic. The lecturer was my college lecturer for my child care course. My ideals were that children should be free to learn in an open ended environment. I wholeheartedly believed they should never be given restrictive activities such as colouring in and materials such as google eyes and technology was a big no-no (it was the 90s though). &nbsp;This kind of idealism came crashing down when I had my own special needs children. The lesson that idealism can actually restrict children only occurred to me when I began homeschooling Lachie. It has taken me 17 years to figure out that my lecturer was not &nbsp;in fact complimenting my idealism.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QF89agGIRyo/Unm148OhIqI/AAAAAAAAAVw/qDU75tGIDkw/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QF89agGIRyo/Unm148OhIqI/AAAAAAAAAVw/qDU75tGIDkw/s320/IMG_0609.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br />I recently decided to push aside my ideas about natural learning (gasp, shock, horror!) and do what just works. The result &nbsp;can be seen in the photo adjacent. It doesn't look like much but it is HUGE, a massive effort from a boy who would not, could not, in his own mind possibly produce a whole page of writing. Even in this style I made some huge sacrifices in the name of letting go. There is no Queensland correct script, we are learning capitals only at this stage, and there is no pressure and no erasing during the lesson.<br /><br /><br /><br />I see the parents of special needs children grasping at their remaining idealism all the time on the Internet. I see indignation over so many of the little things. I see arguments fiercely erupt (truth be told I have been involved) over whether children are Autistic or have Autism, whether it is a condition, disorder, disease, curable, preventable......etc. Maybe we should let go of these ideals and just do what works, it takes effort and trial and error to do what works but we sure as heck are not going to find out what that is if we sit around debating all day long. &nbsp;I never forget an experienced mother telling a group of new mothers that no matter what they believed, read, or wanted, ultimately the child and not the parent guides the choices you make for your child. She then went on to advise them to throw away the baby books. I think we need to go a step further and engage in the world with an open mind.<br /><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-57088620844363904152013-10-28T00:46:00.001-07:002013-10-28T00:46:48.943-07:00What's in the sensory bin?We are fortunate enough to have been given some resource funding for Lachie. In particular, I really wanted to get started a sensory and fine motor bin. After a few test runs of sensory items, this is what we ended up with in the bin.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/-Glitter-Kaleidoscope-Kids-Novelty-Toy-P2990.aspx" target="_blank">A kaleidoscope</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDJE-glitter-kaleidoscope-action-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDJE-glitter-kaleidoscope-action-web.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Bendy-Man-Novelty-Toy-P3738.aspx" target="_blank">A bendy man</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDZZ-bendy-man-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDZZ-bendy-man-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/iPop-Dinosaur-Toy-P3057.aspx" target="_blank">A pop eyed dinosaur</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDLH-IPOP-dinosaurs-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://shop.australiangeographic.com.au/Assets/ProductImages/BDLH-IPOP-dinosaurs-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQFhOcrRcEQ" target="_blank">Micro Charger Cars</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UQFhOcrRcEQ?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.toysrus.com.au/scooby-doo-trap-time-5-pack-of-figures/w1/i4821398/#vwocamp" target="_blank">Scooby Doo Whodunnit figures with trap and changeable heads</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQM4gnsSEBcDugv8BL44vpm9BQLcGWpmEeWsSzerPXrnUwm3AIj4A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQM4gnsSEBcDugv8BL44vpm9BQLcGWpmEeWsSzerPXrnUwm3AIj4A" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A light ball and some squidgy squeezy things one looks like the cartoon character Blue and the others are like koosh balls, and a handball.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is all stored in a Blue Itty Bitty Bin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.officeworks.com.au/ims_docs/4F/4F5FFF297ED00F77E10080000AF11387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.officeworks.com.au/ims_docs/4F/4F5FFF297ED00F77E10080000AF11387.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although we got the funding, on the exception of the Scooby Doo toy, these can all be picked up fairly inexpensively. It is worth the peace and quiet we have had today and he is developing his motor skills without even realising it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-43340931850553982442013-10-20T18:25:00.000-07:002013-10-20T18:27:04.497-07:00Washing Little Hands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After noticing Aria's fascination with the bathroom and becoming frustrated myself with Lachie's refusal to use a nail brush, I came up with this Montessori inspired practical living activity. The children each have a tray complete with a tub of warm water, a face washer, a nail brush, mirror, and a towel. Lachie has a container of foaming hand soap but I squirt Aria's into the tub as she tends to paint the house with it. This is the first day I had the mirrors, I picked them up for $1.50 at a new discount store. Not only is the warm water calming but it encourages self care and I don't have to hold Lachie down to scrub his nails. It turns something that is difficult due to sensory issues into a fun game. The children are responsible for drying any drips off the tray. This activity meets with the basic Montessori principle of controlling for error.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pI3OiyQcsuY/UmSAHBNYtRI/AAAAAAAAAUg/L6qxYIAK2RU/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pI3OiyQcsuY/UmSAHBNYtRI/AAAAAAAAAUg/L6qxYIAK2RU/s320/IMG_0412.JPG+(2).JPG" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Both children loved the mirrors</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FqxDAMXIaDU/UmSAYhuUXII/AAAAAAAAAVA/4jGzDIH7TsY/s1600/IMG_0415.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FqxDAMXIaDU/UmSAYhuUXII/AAAAAAAAAVA/4jGzDIH7TsY/s320/IMG_0415.JPG+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h_xweOdSzV8/UmSAWC3xYJI/AAAAAAAAAU4/a7uS2UNLDNI/s1600/IMG_0416.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h_xweOdSzV8/UmSAWC3xYJI/AAAAAAAAAU4/a7uS2UNLDNI/s320/IMG_0416.JPG+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;Lachie sat back for a while and contemplated the activity while looking in the mirror</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hUJTH77glyE/UmSAlFqlmKI/AAAAAAAAAVU/GuiaC2eFz8o/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hUJTH77glyE/UmSAlFqlmKI/AAAAAAAAAVU/GuiaC2eFz8o/s320/IMG_0419.JPG+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;Aria used materials to clean the mirror too</div><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-47138782250148446882013-10-17T19:25:00.001-07:002013-10-17T19:27:58.023-07:00To Fight or not to FightLately I have been having some conversations with a not for profit agency that are helping survivors of bullying. Through listening to other people's stories, I have &nbsp;felt the feelings of injustice over the bullying my ASD children have endured well up again. Although, Gi Joe is okay for me to share his story, he does not want identification or a "big deal" made out of it. Out of respect for the space he's in, I won't go into detail. I will say though that the sheer fact he feels a need to hide what happened makes me realise how ashamed he is of what happened to him and how he is still scared it will happen again! So herein lies my conundrum, kicking up a stink might make me feel better and raise awareness but it may very well re-victimise him. As a mother, of course I want justice but it comes with a price. This is the place that bullies put the family of their survivors in. Schools, workplaces and sporting teams need to understand this. Unfortunately, the issues tend to end with the survivor leaving the school, workplace or sporting team. It should be the other way around. Early intervention with those most at risk of being bullied and being bullies is key.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-14968293616038781622013-09-18T15:17:00.001-07:002013-09-18T15:23:27.532-07:00It was The Best Post in the WorldWell, I follow in the footsteps of Tenacious D (without the devil and music and stuff...oh and fame). I was all poised to write an epic post and my blogger wouldn't let me sign in! I have no idea what I was going to write but I'm sure it was the best post in the world. Instead of the best post in the world, I'm just going to settle with some reflection of our term. <br /><br />Some days the self doubt creeps in and I think I'm not teaching Lachie anything. I have been thinking about that and I think that's a little unfair to both of us! He has achieved so much this term and I just need to look back on these posts and see that. I read (or saw) something, somewhere on Facebook (gets a bit like that) about self dialogue. I decided to pay attention to Lachie's self dialogue (which he often verbalises) this week. I was hoping to hear that he felt he had done well this term, I was sad to hear, "I'm not a good boy" "I can't." &nbsp;Who's responsible for this? Us as his parents mostly I think. I need to change it and model positive self talk to him. So no more doubts!<br /><br />This term Lachie has loved The Gruffalo, The Rascal Series, The Very Cranky Bear, The Lorax, to name but a few. Through texts he liked I was able to engage him beyond what I could with a stock standard activity that he found meaningless. My approach next term will definitely be deep exploration of texts he chooses himself. He's only engaged in what he's truly interested in and I need to embrace that. After all, adults tend not to continue with something that they find boring for too long. We do have to do some things we don't like but he is a child and I need to help him to treasure his childhood for as long as possible. All in all I feel we achieved a lot this term. He's well and truly de-schooled. I'm still looking for a good school for him, I don't think he shares the same view so we need to tread carefully when we talk about school. I don't want it to be a punishment if we do send him back. We are taking it day by day at this point.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-78369514419068874692013-09-07T22:36:00.003-07:002013-09-08T02:08:38.030-07:00Being THAT ExhaustedIf you follow many blogs about Autism, especially ones that originate from the USA, it's difficult not to have been touched by the story of a mum of an ASD teen who attempted murder suicide. After a final blow, a withdrawal of support, she did the unthinkable. I'm not going to write a lot about the specifics of the case, others have done that. &nbsp;I'm not going to harp on about the need for support, I've done that. I do want to describe being THAT exhausted. I have felt it before, especially in the younger years with Gi Joe. I have seen it before and very recently. It's inevitable.<br /><br />What does it look like? Different in every person I suspect. It's often the people who you give advice to, they will come back with a frustrating, "tried that, tried that, tried that..." If that is frustrating for you, imagine how frustrating it is for them. &nbsp;The ones who are numb, the ones who stop caring about themselves, the ones who over analyse their situation, the ones who cry a lot, the ones who have given up, the ones who avoid. &nbsp;I have been this person and I have been THAT exhausted. Once I was THAT exhausted I thought about driving my car off the freeway, my son was in the back. I didn't because I saw an out, my partner, my other kids, the special school. &nbsp;The thought went through my head though. This one thought makes me no different from those who followed through. I felt I had an out, but I had the thought. They maybe did not feel like they had an out, had exhausted all their outs. It is hard to know and something we may never know.<br /><br />What do you do to get through it? In order to help parents feeling this, asking if they are okay might be a good start, but then what? &nbsp;Yes people need to help themselves first before they are any good to their children. &nbsp;How? If you are it? How do you take a break? I am lucky, I'm not it, I can take a break, not always straight away but it happens. I don't really know the answers. It is going to take a lot of vocal hard work to change systems, mind sets, and to promote a greater understanding of the needs of Autism families. I hope that this post might help one person to recognise THAT exhaustion in a friend.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-23774859600908046732013-09-03T21:45:00.004-07:002013-09-03T21:45:57.954-07:00Marble Maths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk1ZmW2wAe8/Uia35RFReLI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Ki-wphRBsGM/s1600/marble+maths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk1ZmW2wAe8/Uia35RFReLI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/Ki-wphRBsGM/s320/marble+maths.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br />Today we trialed 10 minute "table work." Lachie has become a little bit reluctant to engage and lovely home school gurus and my aunty suggested that I do 10 minutes at a time on a learning activity, interspersed with 10 minutes of a favourite activity. This past two weeks, watching Minecraft on You Tube has been all consuming. We had 30 minutes of table work and he did great. There was complaining about the computer but he ultimately completed the activity without complaining.<br /><br />This activity is effective for Lachie as he loves to describe how the marbles feel in his hands. The concept is designed to support him to get used to operators and to understand addition rules such as doubling. He loves that he can see the numeral and feel and view the corresponding amount of marbles for that numeral. He also has the extra challenge of not having the marbles roll away and there is fine motor development in the need to place each marble in the section individually.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-14423765587068668812013-08-18T18:24:00.002-07:002013-08-18T18:43:09.606-07:00Smelly, Slimy, CleanToday's sensory activity was designed to get Lachie to interact with different smells and to record his reaction to them. It seems that Lachie cannot smell his own body odour but has no issues detecting other odours which he finds unpleasant.<br /><br />First I made smelly playdough, here is the recipe:<br /><br />One cup (250ml) of plain flour<br />1/4 cup of salt<br />1 cup of boiled water<br />2 tbsp of cream of tartar<br />2 tbsp of oil<br /><br />For smells, cocoa, rosewater, peppermint, jelly crystals. For colour, non-toxic paints, natural food colours, glitter or whatever takes your fancy!<br /><br />Place the flour, cream of tartar and oil in a saucepan along with your chosen colour. If using paint I wait until the mixture is cool. Although I use non-toxic paints, &nbsp;I thought it was better not to experiment with heating them.<br /><br />In a jug place your boiled water and salt. Wait until salt dissolves.<br /><br />Mix your salt water in with your saucepan ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. It will look runny and lumpy.<br /><br />Keep stirring until it is starting to look smoother and thicker and it comes away a bit from the sides. Remove it from the heat. Different added ingredients mean different quantities of flour, judge it by how it comes together, not necessarily how sticky it is. When it is a good consistency to pick up and knead, it will still be a bit sticky at this stage and depending on the added ingredients may not come cleanly away from the pan (cocoa is a really sticky one).<br /><br />Place the playdough on a floured board or in a slice pan (this is a neater way of doing it) and knead and add flour as necessary to get a smooth consistency. Place in zip lock bags in the fridge until you are ready to use it.<br /><br />Lachie was quite unimpressed by the smell. He tolerated it because he was interested in the rocks. He made different rivers and islands using grass, river rocks we bought from the reject shop for $4 and sticks. I wanted Lachie to be able to explore this activity without interruption so Aria stayed inside with Daddy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ko0NotMwpxw/UhFxwZ7Wh0I/AAAAAAAAATY/IG23GNTlH9s/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ko0NotMwpxw/UhFxwZ7Wh0I/AAAAAAAAATY/IG23GNTlH9s/s320/IMG_0255.JPG+(2).JPG" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The minion (AKA: The Me) and the Macca's man made an appearance in the play of course. We had the sensory tub set up but he wanted to use the messy mat instead.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNabKrs7kGs/UhFx4ZZf1kI/AAAAAAAAATg/7cj3NZXcod8/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNabKrs7kGs/UhFx4ZZf1kI/AAAAAAAAATg/7cj3NZXcod8/s320/IMG_0257.JPG+(2).JPG" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the activity it was time to clean the play dough off the rocks. The warm water and soap is calming and the slippery soap makes handling the rocks a challenge. This activity was also for Aria as she love to clean things.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RKaYmfLcb9o/UhFx8b7DeLI/AAAAAAAAATo/DMRw3aFTMm4/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RKaYmfLcb9o/UhFx8b7DeLI/AAAAAAAAATo/DMRw3aFTMm4/s320/IMG_0258.JPG+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spot the Macca's man. As the bubbles grew so did their ideas about what they wanted to put in it. Of course, Aria engaged in the activity for longer than Lachie. She enjoyed the slimy rocks a lot more than he did.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XfZXtzmCz6M/UhFyIx9JbGI/AAAAAAAAATw/9M_TH69E1ys/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XfZXtzmCz6M/UhFyIx9JbGI/AAAAAAAAATw/9M_TH69E1ys/s320/IMG_0261.JPG+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lachie was keen to dry the rocks and Aria got in on the action. There was a bit of push and shove here because they shared the same bucket and container but they worked it out in the end.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pPdwxbfyKP4/UhFyNqEwwZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/NEDZgqDiG6g/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pPdwxbfyKP4/UhFyNqEwwZI/AAAAAAAAAT4/NEDZgqDiG6g/s320/IMG_0264.JPG+(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-32817112843440204362013-08-14T18:34:00.001-07:002013-08-14T18:34:22.873-07:00Back to BasicsThis morning we played Snakes and Ladders and memory. I often wonder if the introduction of screens and waning popularity of these types of social experiences is impacting on our children's development. Brand name board games can be expensive but yesterday I found a range of cheap classics at Kmart for $5 each. I got Snakes and Ladders as I felt it would be good to teach Lachie maths concepts as well as give him the experience of set backs (going down the snake). Lachie at first was very upset over having to go down the snake during our morning test out of our new game. However, the game held his interest long enough to overcome his feelings of injustice and he eventually won. Apart from the obvious maths skills he learnt valuable social lessons. Turn taking and not cheating were definite challenges!<br /><br /><br /><img alt="Snakes &amp; Ladders" src="http://www.kmart.com.au/wcsstore/Kmart/images/catalog/main/41387696-f.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kmart.com.au/product/snakes--ladders/122248" target="_blank">Snakes and Ladders from Kmart $5</a><br /><br />Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-87524568448622315022013-07-29T20:43:00.000-07:002013-07-29T20:44:24.613-07:00Powerful lessons: Not all smiles and sunshine and not all book work!<div><br /></div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-R5hBiBPlU/Ufc1mfmbuZI/AAAAAAAAATE/WSr_yiktt9Y/s1600/cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-R5hBiBPlU/Ufc1mfmbuZI/AAAAAAAAATE/WSr_yiktt9Y/s320/cooking.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />Homeschooling looks all smiles and sunshine if you go by our pictures but it is full of hard work and self doubt. Yesterday I had to deal with a pretty bad public meltdown but I had to do it. It was worth it because no matter what it is my responsibility to teach right from wrong. The lesson Lachie learnt yesterday was more powerful than any of the book work we have done to date. He learnt mummy is no push over and just because you scream loudly doesn't mean mummy will buy you what you want. The only sad part about it was the stares and the whispers from two shocked women.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiPgOdaKHVY/Ufc1f3IuzNI/AAAAAAAAAS4/22e00onZfV0/s1600/Cadets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiPgOdaKHVY/Ufc1f3IuzNI/AAAAAAAAAS4/22e00onZfV0/s320/Cadets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />The tough social lessons being learnt are done in a way that I can control the interaction. My children do not need to be hardened through bullying and disrespect. Gi Joe is learning these lessons through the Army Cadets. He went on his first recruit camp on the weekend and we were told that he made us proud. It gives me hope and reminds me that we have to do the hard yards with Lachie to get the pay off that we have with Gi Joe.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-11574323388825592882013-07-25T21:46:00.000-07:002013-07-26T20:40:51.122-07:00A new phaseSo school has not worked for both of my boys. This is not surprising considering developmental level and social functioning issues that come hand in hand with ASD. We have taken a leap of faith and put GI Jo into Distance Ed and Baby Yoshi is doing registered home schooling. I have been amazed at how many people choose this option. I had never really considered it before but so far it is working out okay. I won't say that there aren't challenges but I will say that I am willing to tackle them face on as their mother. I am fortunate in that my friends and family have been wonderfully supportive. I have met many people over the past few weeks and have received advice to ignore the negative comments. I have not had to endure any, even our pediatrician is supportive. So expect to see lots of record keeping disguised as blog posts here from now on!<br /><br />Here is an example of our typical day, I have decided to use Lachie's (Baby Yoshi) and Aria's name, it's just easier.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Monday 22 July 2013<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYv9QRMLSnU/UfNAUUlsFxI/AAAAAAAAASo/YdyGFbh3qA4/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYv9QRMLSnU/UfNAUUlsFxI/AAAAAAAAASo/YdyGFbh3qA4/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Today Lachie chose to practice the letter K. Lachie has good English skills but his writing can let him down.&nbsp; Lachie worked hard on the worksheet provided but was motivated to commence his theme piece for English.&nbsp; Lachie chose to recreate No-Bot the Robot.&nbsp; Bernard the Robot lost his bottom so we talked about what would happen if he lost other body parts.&nbsp; Lachie was able to tell me that if he lost his arms he could not touch and seemed to understand that we can use our body to communicate.&nbsp; Lachie told me that ants communicate with their antennae.&nbsp; Lachie is still mixing up “D” and “B” even when it is spoken and then he is supported to spell a word with either of those letters in it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We used our new whiteboard today and even though he liked it, there were some tears when Aria rubbed off the schedule.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12tfkbNrIsY/UfNAQubQV_I/AAAAAAAAASg/PwABJf9e2pI/s1600/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-12tfkbNrIsY/UfNAQubQV_I/AAAAAAAAASg/PwABJf9e2pI/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" width="215" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lachie was difficult to engage with maths today.&nbsp; Although the activity was guided by his robot interest, he was very active and left me when I was cutting out the robot.&nbsp; He did engage in a game afterwards but was not really settled for the rest of the day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lachie participated in a science experiment.&nbsp; He checked the growth of his previous plant that we re-grew using celery and he enjoyed the planting of the parsley and was able to connect it with last week’s library book, Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley.&nbsp; I lost Lachie’s attention when the steps were too long for him to write. The day ended with Reading Eggs and quiet television.&nbsp; Although there were difficulties, he still managed to get the work done.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Considerations:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Park play is very important to Lachie and he does not understand the concept of a rainy day.</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Weather visual and discussions around flexibility may help.</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Lachie was unhappy that the routine changed from last Monday to this Monday.</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Montessori may allow Lachie more time to practice cross-curriculum skills.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 198pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 132.75pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:title="IMG_1578" src="file:///C:\Users\WILLIA~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\02\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 2in; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 187.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:title="IMG_1574" src="file:///C:\Users\WILLIA~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\02\clip_image002.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-13623299513008564152013-06-21T14:42:00.002-07:002013-06-21T14:42:16.533-07:00Ranting on Facebook<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">So today I had a rant on Facebook. What about? The media of course! One of our national media outlets has decided to make this "let’s report on Autism week." First it was about a new "cure" that seems suspiciously like electroshock therapy. Then the advertising regarding a famous footballer’s son that sounds suspiciously like the story is going to be about yet another cure. Then, what else but the good old over diagnosis debate? Lumped right in there with ADHD and on the back of comments by an NGO that claims to be promoting Autism awareness!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm&nbsp;so tired of the way Autism is portrayed in the media. It appears if you are famous or a sports person it is okay to have a child with Autism and it is not about parenting but it is always about cures. Fact is any treatment that is reported is out of the reach of the average Australian family or is simply fraud to make that person more money or make them feel better about themselves AKA Jenny McCarthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Lumping Asperger's in with the ADHD debate is damaging and hurtful to those parents trying to do their best with a condition that has nothing to do with parenting. I think there are two types of the disorder to be honest, one where the child is predisposed and has a family environment that promotes the development and the child that has for some reason some biological basis to their disorder. Children with Asperger's are not "badly behaved". Actually in my experience it is the so called neuro-typical children and adults that treat people with Asperger's badly!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730095514806420046.post-65511941596702435022013-06-01T19:00:00.004-07:002013-06-01T19:00:36.292-07:00Bullying <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC9fRStv-ZU/Uaqje6CtBbI/AAAAAAAAASM/dUY96-btH-M/s1600/Injury_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC9fRStv-ZU/Uaqje6CtBbI/AAAAAAAAASM/dUY96-btH-M/s320/Injury_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am writing this and sharing this photo to take a stand against bullying. Gi Jo is too scared to make for himself. In 2010, when Gi Jo was in grade six he received this head injury courtesy of some boys who thought it was okay to smack him into the concrete because they believed that him bending over talking to ants was weird. Before this, they had been his friends. They justified this behaviour by saying they felt "betrayed" that Gi Jo did not inform them of his ASD and it was not until they saw him in the special ed unit that they realised. This started an ongoing series of taunts and social isolation. Most of it, I wasn't even aware of until recently, when GI Jo took a drastic measure to attempt to illustrate to his tormentors what he had attempted to express through his words. His behaviour became the focus and the consequences were that he now has become more socially isolated as a result because we feel that distance education is his safest option.<br /><br />When I think of what happened my mind goes to stories in the media about other young kids that resort to violence and/or suicide to attempt to deal with bullying. I do not condone violence in any way and I am saddened that some young people take their lives rather than feeling that adults can help them. However, that is exactly the point that I am making. These young people become so desperate that they act in these ways. I &nbsp;can not help thinking that teachers are too caught up with paperwork, process, and stress and parents in maintaining their lifestyles and dealing with other external pressures that the unspoken cues are missed. I could forgive that, I can forgive ourselves for missing the unspoken cues with GI Jo. What I can't forgive is the ignorance of the possible outcomes. We warned both schools at various times when certain behaviour from the other young people was coming to our attention. I have the above photograph as I was forced to email it to the school to demonstrate how serious it was that no one contacted us or supported our family and our boy through this. I had to threaten to make a police complaint for it to be taken seriously, even then the school never followed through on their promised conference with the boys involved.<br /><br />People becoming teaching professionals often ask me how to prepare for having children with ASD in their classes. This is what I now say: Watch closely for the bullying, don't ignore it, watch for unspoken cues that indicate there is a problem with peers, listen to the parents of the child, act before it is too late.Corrie Lynhttps://plus.google.com/112210921051112747769noreply@blogger.com0